Epitalon
Epithalon · Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly · AEDG peptide
Epitalon is a synthetic four-amino-acid peptide derived from a pineal gland extract, developed in Russia and studied there over several decades, overwhelmingly by one research group. It is best known for reports that it activates telomerase, the enzyme that maintains the protective caps on chromosome ends.
The evidence situation should be stated plainly. There is a body of published work including long-term human studies reporting effects on mortality and age-related markers. It comes almost entirely from one group, in one country, largely predates modern trial registration and reporting standards, and has not been independently replicated. That combination is a substantial limitation on how much weight the findings can carry, and it is rarely mentioned when the telomerase claim is repeated.
Telomerase activation is also not straightforwardly a good thing to want. It is a mechanism cancer cells rely on to divide indefinitely, and that tension is inherent to the claim rather than incidental to it.
How it works
The reported mechanism is induction of telomerase, the enzyme that extends telomeres, the repeated sequences capping chromosomes that shorten with each cell division. Telomere shortening is one of the recognised hallmarks of ageing, so an intervention that slowed it is a coherent thing to look for.
Epitalon has also been described as influencing melatonin secretion from the pineal gland it derives from, and as binding DNA directly to affect gene expression. These are proposals from the originating group's own work rather than independently established pharmacology.
Regulatory status — United States
Not approved for human use in the United States. Sold only as a research chemical.
Last reviewed 12 Aug 2026. Regulatory positions in this category change frequently; we date this line so you can see how current it is.
What it is studied for
Each entry states the evidence behind it. We do not rank indications by effectiveness — for most compounds here, that would be a claim nobody can support.
Telomere maintenance
Published reviewThe claim the compound is known for.
EvidenceCell culture and animal work from the originating research group, reporting telomerase induction. Not independently replicated.
Age-related outcomes
Published reviewLong-term studies reporting effects on mortality.
EvidenceRussian human studies from the same group, predating modern trial registration standards. No independent replication.
Identity and clearance
Molecule
- Class
- Tetrapeptide
- Molecular weight
- 390.35 Da
- Length
- 4 amino acids
Sequence
Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly
One of the smallest compounds covered here, which is part of why it is inexpensive to synthesise and widely sold.
Pharmacokinetics
Published reviewNot measured in humans by any independent group. Rapid clearance is expected for a peptide this small.
Dose protocols reported in sources
Displayed for reference only. Every row says where it came from, and a trial protocol and a community convention are not the same kind of information. None of this is fed into the calculator, and none of it is a recommendation.
| Goal | Dose | Frequency | Route | Units, 10 mg vial | Source | Start this protocol |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commonly described course | 5 mg – 10 mg | Daily for 10 to 20 days, then a long break | SubcutaneousThe short-course-then-pause pattern comes from the original Russian protocols rather than from any dose-finding study. | 50–100 u | Community practice | Start this |
Start this copies a row into a protocol of your own, which you can then edit. Where a source gave a dose range or an ambiguous frequency, those fields arrive empty — we will not pick a number on your behalf.
CheckRows marked community practice describe what people commonly do, drawn from public discussion. They are not derived from any trial and are not evidence that a dose is safe or effective.
Cycling
Community practice10 to 20 days on, Several months off.
Courses separated by long gaps, typically once or twice a year. This mirrors the original protocols; no study has compared it with anything else.
Calculator
Work out what to draw
Pre-filled with a 50 mg vial as a worked example. These are not recommended values — change them to match the vial in front of you.
Draw to 100 units on a 1 mL U-100 syringe. That is 1 mL, containing 10 mg of Epitalon.
CheckThis fills the syringe almost to the top, which leaves no room for error when drawing.
Bioalmanac performs arithmetic on values you enter. It does not recommend doses, schedules or compounds, and nothing here is medical advice. Confirm every calculation against your vial and syringe before drawing, and speak with a licensed healthcare provider.
Open this calculation in the full calculator
Units, concentration, bacteriostatic water — the glossary defines the vocabulary, and a unit is not a fixed volume.
Safety
Reported effects
- Injection site reactionsCommunity practice
Occasionally reported
- Drowsiness or vivid dreamsCommunity practice
Occasionally reported
Usually attributed to the claimed melatonin connection, though that connection is itself not independently established.
- Long-term effectsCommunity practice
Unknown
No independent long-term safety data exists.
When to stop
- Any new lump or growth. Given that the compound's headline claim is telomerase activation, this warrants prompt investigation rather than watching.
- Any allergic response: rash, hives, facial swelling or difficulty breathing. Seek urgent care.
- Signs of infection at an injection site.
- Marked changes in sleep or mood that persist beyond the first few days.
Interactions and situations that need care
- Active or previous cancerAvoid
Telomerase activation is the mechanism this compound is sold on, and it is also the mechanism most cancer cells use to divide without limit. Whatever the truth of the claim, wanting more of it alongside a cancer history is the wrong direction, and nobody has studied it.
- Pregnancy and breastfeedingAvoid
No reproductive or developmental safety data.
- Children and adolescentsAvoid
No safety data in any age group, and none at all in minors.
What to expect
HonestlyThere is no human efficacy data for this compound, so there is no evidence-based timeline to give. Any site publishing a week-by-week schedule of expected effects has invented it.
- No independent group has replicated the central findings, so there is no evidence base outside the originating group's work.
- Nothing you could notice week to week corresponds to the claimed mechanism. Telomere length is not something you feel.
- The claim and the main risk are the same mechanism pointed in two directions, which is worth sitting with before deciding.
- It is cheap to synthesise and widely counterfeited, so what is in a given vial is an open question even by this category's standards.
Storage and handling
- Freeze-dried powder
- Refrigerated at 2–8 °C, protected from light.
- After mixing
- Refrigerated at 2–8 °C. Do not freeze once mixed.
- Long-term, frozen
- Unopened powder is stable at −20 °C or colder.
In use
Stacks with Epitalon in them
Documented combinations, with full schedules.
Checking your vial
Research chemicals carry no manufacturing standard, so what the vial looks like is often the only quality signal available before you use it. More on assessing quality and COAs.
White cake, clear solution
Standard for a short peptide.
Collapsed cake or cloudy solution
Indicates heat damage or degradation.
Questions
- Does Epitalon lengthen telomeres?
- That is the claim, and it comes almost entirely from one Russian research group's work over several decades. It has not been independently replicated, and telomerase activation is also how cancer cells divide indefinitely. The headline benefit and the headline risk are the same thing.
- Why are the courses so short?
- The 10-to-20-day course followed by months off comes from the original Russian protocols. No dose-finding or duration study has compared it with any alternative.
References
Peptide regulation of ageing: the pineal tetrapeptide Epitalon and telomere biology
Review literature, 2015 · Review of one group's preclinical and clinical work
Cell culture, animal models and human cohorts
Summarises reported telomerase induction in cell culture and long-term Russian studies reporting effects on age-related outcomes. Independent replication is absent.
Commonly reported community protocols
Bioalmanac editorial summary of public community sources, 2026 · Not a study
Summarises the short-course dose patterns described in public discussion. Carries no evidential weight about safety or effect.
Epitalon compared with
Related compounds
GHK-Cu
A naturally occurring copper-binding tripeptide with a long history in topical skincare research. Injected use is not what the research studied.
Ipamorelin
A selective growth hormone secretagogue that prompts a short pulse of GH release. Widely used, and supported almost entirely by early pharmacology rather than outcome trials.
CJC-1295
A GHRH analogue that raises growth hormone by amplifying the body's own release signal. Sold in two forms whose durations differ by two orders of magnitude.
Tesamorelin
A GHRH analogue approved by the FDA for reducing excess visceral fat in HIV-associated lipodystrophy. The only compound in this category with completed phase 3 trials.
Next
What to do with Epitalon
- Keep a record of itTurn a dose and a schedule into a protocol, then log what you actually take. Epitalon is filled in for you.
- See what it costsPer-milligram prices read from vendor sites and confirmed by a person, so vial sizes compare.
- Check a combinationWhat our profiles record about Epitalon alongside each other compound — including the pairs where nothing is recorded.
Keep this page honest
If something here is wrong, out of date, or missing a source, tell us and we will fix it and say that we did.
This page is educational. It describes what published research reports, not what you should do. Peptides discussed here are largely not approved for human use, and nothing on Bioalmanac is medical advice. No clinician reviews these pages.
Page last updated 12 Aug 2026